Be Strong For Me
by rwbybomb21
Summary: It was slow, a steady snapping of her mind caused only by the death of her first love, and the abuse by the villagers. Now the Demon of Konoha, living up to the abusive slurs she was given, Naruko finds new love. But will it last?


**Well...never thought I'd write fictions for this series, but meh, stuff happens. NOTE: THIS IS DARK!**

 **When I say dark, I mean this is like watching the Exorcist with the lights out and with surround sound speakers. When I say dark, I mean it's like the power going out, and you hear strange noises in the house at the same time.**

 **When I say dark, I mean this will probably be the darkest story I have ever written, and while I'm not sure if I will continue this to its fullest potential, I will, WILL, make sure it's enjoyable.**

 **It's a gradual darkness however; it starts off light, goes a bit dark, goes light again and then dips into a chasm of blood, death and so much darkness...**

 **Heads up: Extremely dark with hints of...bludgeoning, graphic torture, blood, gore, swearing, insanity and yuri/lesbian relationships.**

 **Have fun...I know I have writing this...**

(^^^^^^)

To get the sense beaten out of you, to get your senses mashed together by the form of a bloodied row of knuckles flying your way, you would stop to think upon your life so far; accomplishments, achievements, loved ones, future plans, etcetera and so forth. You would see the smiles, the faces you'd be missing while in your stay at the hospital for such a beating, the worry on their faces- imagine the looks you'd get for weeks afterwards, the talk of the town! - and the sheer over-protectiveness brought upon you by a true friend, a person with whom you can give your life to, and they'd make sure it continued to exist.

One blonde, nine year old, barely-hitting-puberty girl by the name of Naruko Uzumaki could attest to the fact that everything said above is a lie; firstly, she wasn't just having her senses smashed together, but the rest of her as well; limbs crumpled against the cement beneath her, fingers showing bone from where they were viciously snapped and twisted, eyes blacked to the point of the swelling disallowing vision- her first sense. The second thing she could tell you that was absolute bullshit was the fact that A: friends had and will never exist in the world in which she lives- no one liked her, no one wanted her, no one needed her. B? What was B, you ask? She had accomplished nothing, loved no one- only herself, she kept chanting, she'd love only herself-, had no future plans and had no dreams. Well, scratch that, her only dream was a short one, and it was to survive the night of drunken assault of which she'd probably suffer the following night- as she had done before.

Her hearing- second sense- was blurred, ragged, ringing constantly flaring within her skull signifying the damage of never being able to hear again; now that she thought on it, not being able to hear again would be a good thing. She'd never hear the slurs, curses and other things the villagers would throw her way, never suffer the indecency of hearing what the animals beating her right now would rather do, 'if only she were of age' they said. As if they hadn't done things already someone her age should never be subjected to, let alone they were talking about her being too small and scrawny for their vulgar tastes.

She tasted constantly a flow of blood seeping between the gaps in her teeth, the once white- she'd never had enough food to eat that would stain them any other colour- rows of pearly teeth cracked, covered crimson, a dark red of which would probably never leave, and would never let her taste anything normal again; taste, her third sense.

Her fingers were mashed by the rough hammers and mace-like objects that some Chuunín had 'lost' during a mission, which just so happened to find their ways to the drunken stampede of delinquent, malicious animals known as the Leaf Village's inhabitants. Her toes were nothing but bloodied stumps, and for a second through the fist impacting her rib cage, she thought on whether her ability to stand would be hindered. Once again, she thought it would be a blessing, not being able to run into the nightly rampage that is the village populace, and maybe one would eventually put her out of her misery if she couldn't run away as far and cause them to tire out as quickly. Her skin couldn't even feel the dull objects and sharp knives piercing her skin anymore; touch, one of the most needed senses, was now temporarily lost to her as well.

A human has five senses; taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight. With one gone, it is said, that the other four remaining become stronger, tougher, faster in reactions and quicker to act. They become almost superhuman, and because only one sense was lost, this is completely possible.

That was why her sense of smell was clouded by the almost euphoric scent of blood, of her own blood no less. It was as if the iron-copper smell was all she'd ever been known to smell, al she'd ever been able to- it made sense, considering how many nights and days she'd spent recovering from assaults similar to this one.

When the shadows blurring off to the side of her indicated help from ANBU at last, she didn't even lift her head in greeting; they'd usually stopped it before it got this far, but her empowered nose gave the scent of even more alcohol, indicating that the ANBU sworn to protect her every day of their lives- as if they'd done a good job of it so far- had been watching, cheering and drinking as the Hokage's declared surrogate daughter was viciously subjected to torture so vile, that one Anko of the T&I department of ANBU would be either throwing up, taking notes, or screaming at the injustice. Anko always did have a soft heart for Naruko.

Despite what everyone thinks, Anko Mitarashi was a good person- well, to Naruko anyway. But after this, after the ANBU herded the villagers away with nary a care for the girl's safety or almost lack of life, she knew that to like someone else other than Anko, to trust anyone other than her snake friend...it would be suicidal. And if Anko were to attack her, she'd allow it, for that one person was the only to claim a space in her barely-there heart. She'd suffer heartache, deaths a thousand times worse than anything the T&I ANBU could come up with, if only it pleased that snake woman. Why though, would she hold such devotion? She loved the snake woman, nothing more, nothing less.

Though now, as the dawn of the next day arrived and still no one came to her help, she realised that forever being alone was the best way to survive, to pull through the days of upcoming torture. But she didn't resent the village, no, nor even the villagers, she resented herself; she hated herself. She feared everything else, though, and it was this fear that would morph what she'd become.

She would become a frightened, shy, closed off, scarred little girl with rags on her back and the only protection in the future being the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Not that she knew this, of course, but it was happening even as she thought on her last wishes. If only she could trust someone like she had done Anko...

Who was Anko?

Her eyes widened; what was happening? Cerulean blue orbs shifted to the left and right, her voice gurgled through the blood pooled in her throat. Anko...she knew her, she loved her, the first person she'd ever love, the first person to show even a hint of kindness. Well, save for the Old Man...Old Man who again?

No, no this could not be happening to her! She wasn't forgetting her most precious people! It wasn't happening, she kept telling herself, but she knew it to be true. Those villagers had done permanent damage this time.

With every time-slowing blink of her eyes she realised that her memories were fading; her name, her age, her date of birth, her surrogate grandfather...her would-be lover...who were they again?

She stopped fighting the disappearing memories, allowing them to leave her mind of their own volition. She knew it was a losing battle, her mind and body too scarred to think of anything else, to know anything else other than surrendering to the village's will and dying- but her memories' deaths will have to be good enough.

Yet she clung to one, one simple one as tightly as she could, as strong in an iron grip as she could.

The villager's hate. So, at least, she'd wake up- if she did at all- and remember what the vile villager's had done, as to not be caught by surprise.

At least she'd know whether this new Naruko would fight or flee.

Flee, she'd run like the coward her predecessor wanted to be, not the fighter that she tried to be. The new Naruko would hide, would run as fast and as far as she could, then keep running some more. She peak over her shoulder constantly, never utter a word to anyone, stutter sentences when she did; she'd fumble with her fingers like Hinata Hyuuaga did whenever Naruko walked passed her- Naruko noticed, but just paid it no mind. I mean, it wasn't as if the girl actually noticed Naruko, it was probably because everywhere she walked, she had that thrice damned Uchiha growling out curses and insults wherever she went; Sasuke never did like her from the start, and he began to hate her when the girls of Konoha began fawning over his every step, his attention split between everyone- except Naruko, she'd never even give him the time of day, let alone her attention. He didn't like that, and suffice to say to was very verbal on everything he thought she was.

And as much as she hated to say it, she liked what her future looked like; running, hiding, constant fear.

Maybe then she'd truly understand her own pain, from her own perspective as well as another's.

With that, a mop of white dropped in front of her, a voice screaming for acknowledgement, a shout so raw and powerful it begged for forgiveness as tears dripped down her face- not her own, she noted.

Then her eyes tried to close themselves, her life fading, and a means of escaping this torture in front of her, within arm's length, within hand's reach. All she need do was reach out towards the steadily glowing light approaching her at a slowing pace.

She did, and her world faded to black, and she hoped that she'd never see or wake again.

(^^^^^^)

White.

Her eyes were blinded to the point of being able to see nothing but white, and not just nothing like she'd have preferred. Her previous idea, she realised, of losing her memories, failed; they weren't vanishing... they were protecting themselves, fleeing temporarily and returning while she was unconscious.

She would have liked it if the villagers had returned and killed her, now she could get them back...now that she could though- if only for their own sakes- she wished they knew how to hide, where to hide from her.

It's as an old man once said to her while beating her to near death on her seventh birthday; 'A village is no place for a girl whose screams are ignored. Best remember it, demon'.

 _Demon._

 _Monster!_

 _Evil bitch!_

She closed her eyes, feeling the sting of tears dribble down her cheeks, as if slapping her in the face. The memories hit her like a brick, like a freight train on a collision course with her heart, squeezing, crushing...stopping.

 _I hope you die._

Burn...

 _You're a demon!_

Burn...all will burn...

 _What are you?_

 _Please, mercy!_

 _Why!?_

Burn! You will all burn for what you did!

That's it! It hit her square in the face. Why avoid being the murderous demon they hated, when they were forcing her to be the demon they wanted dead? They wanted her dead? They could try; she'd kill them, all of them. They wanted her to bleed? She'd never see her own blood again, only that of her enemies. They hated a demon? She'd be that demon then, she'd be that person they feared, they loathed with their very being, she'd kill and maim, and murder those that even threw a single insult her way.

The village did this to her, she reminded herself as she began to doubt it, the village. No one's but theirs was the fault.

Her weaknesses would have to be stamped out, crushed into nothing but dust, then scooped up and scattered to the wind. She'd have nothing but wariness and hatred to lead her; she'd never trust a single soul again.

Her strengths would have to be put under the hammer of a master smith, forged into the perfect weapon with no flaws of disadvantages. She'd become the ultimate tool, never using someone else's Jutsu, never using a Jutsu someone already knew of- that way they couldn't come up with a counter for it.

Lastly...- _she looked at the Hokage, the one man in the village to not want to rape or beat her, and put on a blank face as she gave her report of what had happened_ \- Lastly she'd have to be devoid of any emotion; for once she found herself agreeing with Danzo, the shifty man who wanted to raise her as nothing but a weapon...she'd never feel anything again. Her love for Anko caused her to follow an old associate of her's down the alleyway she was beaten in, under the pretence of helping her find the snake woman.

She'd be the ultimate demon. The village wanted so badly to hate her for no reason? Well now they'd have a reason.

And what of Kakashi Hatake, her protector? Right, ' _protector'_. Where was he when she begged and pleaded for her life, where was he when she put her trust in him the most, only for it to fall through on the empty promise he made?

' _I promise to always protect you'._

His promises were full of emptiness, of that certain factor of lacking certainty and truthfulness. He never could even keep to his own time schedule, let alone his own promises. He never showed up, never. She told him it wasn't his fault, but if he had been there, would it have turned out better... or would he have betrayed her like he betrayed her trust?

' _You swear?'_

So naive back then, so trustworthy of the very ground he walked on. Of the very ground someone who was kind to her walked on- she realised now that kindness was a lie. No one is ever kind to a girl who screams, only for the pain to continue and her voice to grow ragged, her lungs to cave under the pressure of the boots from the men kicking her. Only to be ignored.

' _I swear; pinkie promise.'_

' _Swear'_ was just another word for _'let down'_ with Kakashi; she'd leaned into him for protection enough times to realise that he did nothing but empty promises. Sure, he may have tried to help, but trying did nothing when a village hates your very existence... a village was no place for a little girl who screams and begs and pleads and cries and wishes for the pain to stop and the blood to cease flowing and the cuts on her wrists to heal and the rain to stop pouring and the world to start loving her...only to get ignored.

Only to get ignored.

Betrayed.

Abused.

...Well no more...

(^^^^^^)

Ino Yamanaka was walking with her best friend, but one didn't need to know that. One needed to know why Sakura, the friend in question, was looking as if the world would turn itself inside out any second from now, why she looked like a prisoner on death row walking to her death, knowing they can't escape it. It was just their graduation, and if she knew her best friend-slash-rival, she'd give it her all. So why did she look so disturbed?

"So..." she plucked a flower from the ground, twirling the little daisy around her fingers as she walked through the small park required to reach the Academy; they could just use their ninja speed, but them talking friendly and calmly was something that never got to happen, so they both took this chance as much as they could. "You look like you've just been told the world is yellow."

Sakura simply sighed, looking down at her feet as she processed what to tell her friend; rivalry and friendship don't mix, but somehow they'd made it work for them...despite their ever growing affections- or fangirling, as someone once called it- for one Sasuke. The truth seemed like a good idea to begin with.

But Ino, the daughter of the most famed interrogator of Konoha Inoichi, was bound to read her body language, and before long, gave her a very saddened and almost as depressed look. "It's... _her_ , isn't it?"

Sakura nodded, absently walking along the cracked cement path, passing a few green trees and a large black husky...husky...why was there a husky?

It clicked, and both Ino and Sakura shared a horrified look as the pure black husky dog simply swayed its tail from side to side lazily, ears pricking at every little sound- it was almost as wary as its master.

"Th-That's hers...isn't it?"

"Y-Y-Yeah..."

For a second they said nothing, then began in a small jog to the academy without seeming like they were crazy; the dog wasn't nasty, but it was known to have been raised personally by one Naruko Uzumaki herself, so nobody went near it, and soon the dog simply stopped approaching others.

It also creeped them out that it seemed to hold the same eyes as its owner; cold, calculating, feral and demonic.

Sakura was dreading the rest of today, but her dread overcame her concentration on the events around her, and soon after they reached the academy doors, Ino declared a race to the class; the first one would sit next to Sasuke so it was kind of an easy guess as to how, exactly, they managed it.

They sprinted, jumped, somersaulted and back flipped their ways to the door that led to the classroom of which the reason for this little game was sitting. One hoped the other wouldn't reach there first, but alas, it only failed in misery as they both crossed the threshold to the room at the same time.

Shino knew of the two girls, so he knew that when they vied for the affection of Sasuke Uchiha, he was better off sitting at the end of the class. Getting ready to sit up, he saw a figure in a red hooded black cloak with two piercing red eyes staring at him from the back row, and he shot down almost as fast as he stood up.

It was _her_ , Naruko Uzumaki, the Crimson Demon of Konoha; rated Hyper-Lethal, above Jounín level and the first SS ranked Academy ninja in history...she was a complete and utter enigma. She had completed her first C ranked mission without a team and only a Jounín to guide her- when she was ten!-, then she was sent out by the Hokage himself to perform some recon missions as a...'Side Asset' of Konoha's- a ninja without the Headband that was labelled as a Citizen of Konoha and an unofficial ninja, but if caught in enemy territory with this circumstance, they would deny any acknowledgement of her existence.

While brutal, it was effective to the point of it being the best solution since the Fourth Hokage's birth. Although when he thought on it...why was she made a special case? He had noticed the saddened looks the teachers, ninja and even people on the civilian council would send her way; she'd answer them all with glares and silent death threats, though it never seemed to bother them. In fact, it seemed they...understood.

Shino shivered as he felt a sudden chill in the air with the faint scent of blood permeating seemingly in front of him- where _she_ now stood.

Naruko looked down at him as the background noise of the Sakura-Ino argument over Sasuke continued to grow louder, and Shino noticed with his vision that the girl in front of him seemed to be...curious.

Yet she never spoke, even when asked, questioned, shouted at or otherwise when it needed an answer; well, she did speak to a very select few, such as her teammates if ever given any, her sensei- not that she needed one- and herself. He had heard her mutterings to herself at one point, and from what he could gather, they were plans. She was formulating blueprints within her own mind, and he looked up, trying to peak past the cloak's hood, to see if she was doing that now.

"Can...I help you Naruko?" absently he noticed the class had went silent, and peaking past her he noticed the sensei Iruka had walked in. Thinking he was going to send her to her seat, Shino relaxed, but after a few silent seconds of nothing he tensed again- it seems that most of the school faculty that didn't outright fear Naruko respected or even loved her...though to him it seemed as if she already knew that, and was trying to change the love into hate.

How curious.

She said nothing for a second, simply tilting her head to the side. Then, without warning, he found himself suddenly pinned to the wall opposite from where he was sitting, with her fist wrapped around his neck and her red eyes glowing as they pierced his goggles.

Then, with her other hand, she carefully plucked a small brown object- a female beetle- from her shoulders before placing it in his hand. "Keep your bugs to yourself, Aburame."

And then she released, his throat and lungs working as a team to suck in as much oxygen as possible to make up for the lost air he so desperately needed when the vice grip was surrounding his neck. His form dropped to the ground as he uncharacteristically began to panic; Shino never panicked, but Ino figured it was something to do with the now smirking demon sitting in the back of the class.

Speaking of said demon, Naruko was sat with her left hand in her pocket while the right one was lazily holding a book in front of her face, which was uncovered now by the hood. Her feet were propped up on the table, showing off her black boots with red laces and a crimson skull on the toe.

Her face was pale, paler than snow and whiter than the whitest ice. Her cheeks were full yet hollow, as if she had never had a good night's sleep in her life, and the bags under her eyes, like Raccoon's eyes, further attested to that. One could now see the crimson hair that barely reached past her jaw, the spikes shooting this way and that, as if never brushed. On each cheek was a slightly pink whisker mark- a villager, when she was young, thought it funny to make the marks into scars, so he traced them with the tip of a knife, leaving the scars on her face... as permanent reminders of what she was.

As much as Ino wanted to delve into her mind using her clan's Jutsu, her father forbade it- in fact he actually looked worried, concerned...but not for his daughter, for Naruko herself. Naruko held the hearts of so many, but so few let her know that.

Naruko could faintly hear Iruka rattling off the role call for the class, when suddenly Sakura noticed a sensei missing.

"Iruka sensei? Where's Mizuki?"

Iruka heaved a sigh, long and hard out of his lungs. He expelled the air as he thought on what to tell his students, and he came up with the idea that the partial truth should be enough for them. Bearing in mind that this was new for him, he found the body only just yesterday. Mangled, bloody and three claw marks surrounding his eyes; the man never did stop his glaring behind sickly smiles...he supposed she just had enough of it.

"Mizuki..." he passed a look to a now smirking Naruko, and thought _'If only you could have kept your emotions in check Mizuki...I wonder what you did this time?'_ "Mizuki passed away yesterday." Seeing the shocked and somewhat saddened faces on some of the students, he bowed his head. "Let us pay him a minute's respect."

The entire class, save for Naruko, bowed their heads in silence.

The only thing this did for Naruko was unearth memories, better left in the recesses of her mind, yet they somehow found themselves through her boredom.

 _Grey clouds parting to allow rain to fall, dribbling down in hails as she stood._

 _A sea of bowed heads, yet only one catches her eye, and in that small moment, she cries._

 _Tears mix with dried blood and raindrops._

 _Dripping...drip-drip-drip-dripping down onto dead pale skin beneath her as she wailed into black fabric._

 _Eyes wide with terror as ANBU blamed her._

 _She was killed for an error that Naruko made._

 _Sad, terrified, alone._

 _Loneliness..._

She shook her head slightly, hearing the bell ring to allow them to leave; was she deep in her memories that long? Naruko nodded to Iruka as she walked through the doors leading outside, expecting _her_ to show up to take her to Icharaku's. She had expected to see _her_ walking towards the academy, a smile on _her_ otherwise scowling face a small blush from where the sun hit _her_ face.

Like so many other times...

" _Hey Naruko."_

 _Naruko only smirked before punching_ her _in the arm._

" _What the hell!?"_

" _You're ten minutes early." With that statement,_ she _looked sheepish, looking down at her toes with a shy smile on her face; uncharacteristic of the otherwise sadistic woman._

" _I...wanted to come see you early...so we could spend more time together."_

 _Naruko looked taken back, but for only a second before hugging_ her _. "Thank you..."_

" _For what?_

" _For wanting to see me...for putting up with my broke ass and shattered mind for this long." Naruko felt the first tear she'd shed since she was nine, speeding down her cheek and landing on the trench coat covering_ her _shoulder._

" _I don't see why I wouldn't...you know that."_

" _I know..."_

 _Silence, then "but when you think about it...we're too similar for this not to work."_

 _Naruko simply chuckled before pecking her on the cheek. "I love you, I hope you know that...even if it's hard for me to show it."_

" _I know, and I love you too...forever, Naruko. Not now, not in the future, but forever."_

Five minutes, ten, twenty...then she left the memories once more to find six people in front of her. Shino, Hinata, Ino, Kiba and Shikamaru with Chouji stuffing his face in a bag of potato chips.

They all stared at her headband in awe; she'd already gotten hers!? The rest of them were supposed to get theirs later on in the day, but she'd gotten hers; how?

"So..." Kiba was never good with words, so Akamaru, his small white puppy, spoke for him, as if the red eyed, feral woman would understand.

He gave out a series of barks, and Naruko simply tilted her head sideways before looking at Kiba. "...Special exam."

Akamaru gave out another code of barks, to which caused Naruko to glare at the dog for a second before sighing. She then turned and wordlessly walked off, to the tree in the shade where a swing sat.

"How the hell does she understand Akamaru! She's so weird..."

That one swing was the only friend she had- except her dog, which she had expected to come bounding down the road towards her any minute now.

Any...minute...now...

They all watched as Naruko slumped in her swing, the only place she ever went that others would leave her alone in.

"I don't know Kiba, but I kinda feel sorry for her; she's always so alone, even if she _is_ scary..." Ino looked forlornly at the space of which Naruko had occupied, before sighing and engaging in a lighter conversation with her friends.

Hinata waved goodbye five minutes later as all her friends walked off with their parents, Shino and his father exchanging information about what went on in school, Chouji and his mother eating happily, Kiba with Akamaru and his mother, and Shikamaru walking with his hands behind his head with his father telling him how Naruko was 'troublesome'...was that the family motto or something? Ino was looking out at the area Naruko was with a sad expression; of course her father picked it up, but instead of the usual _'stay away from_ her' or _'she's bad'_ he simply sighed, as saddened as his daughter was.

Her father was late to pick her up, but she figured he must be held back, what with being one of the clan heads and all. It also didn't help that he hated her, for being 'weak', and so he avoided her as much as possible, focusing his attention on Hanabi, her sister.

So...oh, now she was alone in the area. Naruko's dog had just shown up and she had begun to lead it wherever it was that she stayed. No one had actually ever figured out where she lived or where she stayed, and the secretive side to her confused many, considering she was everything that secretive was.

They knew her second name, but that was about it. They knew her first name, her second name, and as she tried to figure out if they knew anything else, she realised that Naruko Uzumaki embodied the word _'enigma'_.

Just then her father showed up, a small pleased look upon his face as he looked at her, his feet speeding his speed along once he saw her. She was unnerved to say the least; Hinata's father had not looked even remotely happy to see her since her mother's untimely death.

"F-Father?" questioning his look, he simply rubbed a hand through his long black hair, looking at her with something she had never seen directed towards her.

"Hinata..." then his facade broke, a look of sadness washing over his face. "We...need to talk."

She knew this could not be good, so she followed along, fingers poking together as she could feel her father's gaze upon her. It scared her of what was to come; usually she was often told to spar against her younger sister when he had a saddened face, but he was leading her to a secluded park just behind the Hyuuga compound. Hinata didn't like this one bit.

They stopped walking, and on her father's urging, both were soon sat down on the bench that was sat in the centre of the park; Hinata was nervous, her father was less so...but the sadness was still there.

"Hinata...you see, we've entered a clan agreement with the Hokage...and..."

She knew where this was going, but didn't want to hear it, no matter how important to the clan it was; ha, to the clan. That was all her father cared about, his 'clan', never her, only his youngest daughter, Neji and his clan. Did he forget how torn apart she was after her mother's death? Even more so than he was, that's for sure, but his selective memory tortures her, for he sees her as nothing but an accident, something that never should have been born into this world...and suddenly she began to feel as Naruko often felt.

"And...You're to find yourself a boyfriend, or husband, before your eighteenth birthday."

To his surprise, she didn't look as shocked as he thought she would. In fact she looked distracted, and contrary to her belief, he knew when she was distracted. He knew of his own neglect of her, but he was too busy trying to forge his youngest into the clan protector that he simply forgot about the person the protector was going to be protecting. He had been paying attention to her though, regardless of what she may think; he had noticed the stares she'd send to Naruko, and at first saw it as idolism, but then noticed the blushes and stuttered greetings towards her, Noticed the attempts to get closer to the cold Crimson Demon of Konoha.

His daughter was gay, which was probably why she was disgusted at the word 'husband' or 'boyfriend'.

He should probably feel disgusted- no Hyuuga had ever been gay; well, at least to his knowledge, he could have some still-in-the-closets in his clan. He should be ashamed, his daughter was supposed to carry on his line, forward the clan, but he thought long and hard on how his youngest had already shown an interest in men, so as long as one could further the Hyuuga clan then the other could do as she wished. He should feel angry. The fact that his daughter feared him so much as to not come out to him; the Haruno child, Sakura, had come out as being bisexual...all he understood from that was she was gay _and_ straight, quite the best-of-both-worlds situation; another thing he understood was that while Sakura and her parents' relations were rocky at worst, they loved, respected and trusted each other.

Hinata didn't trust her father one bit, she feared and resented him...and the one person who was feared and resented in the village that she didn't shy away from was Naruko Uzumaki. Don't get him wrong, it was a true tragedy what happened that girl to change her so; personally he misses her bright smiles, her giggles, her wish to become Hokage, her dreams, her visions...hell, he even missed her pranking.

"Hinata..." he drew his daughter's attention, and she looked up to him with her opaque eyes curious yet wary. It made his old heart sag. "I know."

She was confused, but a little part of her worried. She had many secrets, but which one did he know? "E-Excuse me father?"

Hiashi ran a hand through his daughter's hair as the other hand pulled her close, showing her the first sign fatherly love she had received since birth. "I know about you, your... _preferences_." he had seen what happened if you outright ousted your child, so he had to play it safe, play around the topic until she understood.

He didn't count on her understanding so quickly.

"W...What? How!?" he could see her panicking, and so pulled her tighter, reassuring her that he was not mad. Many parents he had seen receive the news had been outright furious; they'd not get grandchildren, and while selfish, he understood the blow of not receiving someone to carry your blood on. Many bloodlines and Bloodline Limits had died to the ages with a homosexual heir to the clans that they were apart of. In uncommon cases, even their clans died out.

"I'm not mad, I understand why you'd keep this secret from me. I...may not have been the best father, but I am trying to fix this, Hinata." He saw the incredulity on her face, and stroked her scalp with his wondering hand atop her head. "I love you, I always have, but you have to understand the clan's needs came before my own...my needs included your happiness. If you weren't happy, you weren't jeopardising the clan with foolish acts made in the name of said happiness."

"B-But..."

He gave her a soft look, one she had not seen before. "Please...let me finish. Anyway, I see now that the clan's needs should come second to your own, and first before mine, which means I should have been a better father to you form the start. I know I've been showing favouritism to Hanabi, but...but you must know that I have been keeping an eye on you."

"Father...I-I-I..." she stuttered, and he pointed it out with a frown directed at himself. He also noticed a certain black cloaked, red hooded demon walking their ways with a book raised to her face.

He nodded his head in the direction Naruko was coming from, and Hinata became a whole new person. He watched with interest as she smoothed her hair down and stood briskly from the place she was sat next to him, leaving him to sit on the bench and listen to the exchange between a demon and an angel.

She walked over, Naruko almost walking directly into her before swerving to the left and stopping.

"H-Hi Naruko." Naruko looked up from her book and saw Hinata, her headband wrapped around her neck loosely instead of the standard style of wrapping it around your forehead. Though, to be fair, not a lot of people did that these days, opting for their own styles like Kakashi over his Sharingan, Hinata over her neck or even some of the Suna Ninja wrapping it around their thighs and forearms.

"You graduated..." Naruko saw Hinata push her fingers together and vaguely thought it looked cute, but saw out of the corner of her eye that Hiashi was watching with complete interest. New things showed up every day it seems.

"Y...Yeah, I did..." she looked down before looking back up and seeing Naruko pull her hood off before motioning to a nearby tree's shade.

After that it was a blur. Hiashi could only see instead of hear, but Naruko must have said something cute or nice- both were rare these days- for Hinata blushed as bright as a tomato. Interest turned to curiosity as he saw Naruko place a palm on Hinata's shoulder, and then Hinata seemed to gain a bout of confidence, something he had never seen before in her.

She surged forward and kissed Naruko. It was sloppy, unpractised, but he couldn't have felt any prouder. He felt a tad uncomfortable watching as Naruko hesitantly placed a hand on Hinata's face; he thought she was going to slap or punch Hinata. Instead she simply pulled her closer.

Whistling a little tune as he walked off leaving the two alone, he couldn't have been any more happier for Hinata; she had found someone to fill her full of confidence: Someone to love, her heart to give to, her life to live with.

And maybe, in the process of their relationship, Hinata could curb Naruko's insanity, bloodlust and wariness of everyone near her.

The Hokage was right after all...

(^^^^^^)

Sarutobi Hiruzen was getting too old for this; nearing his nineties, his very own daughter providing him with a grandson that was as much a firecracker as ever, and a fellow Hokage's mentally deranged pseudo=psychotic orphaned daughter, he was at his age limit dealing with this kind of thing. In front of him stood one Naruko, lazily reading a book as always, while one Kakashi Hatake was stood still, reading a book but looking distracted- he should think so, considering the porn Kakashi reads.

Coughing to get their attention, he pointed to Naruko, a small proud smile at when she looked at him with a blank face; she was getting good at hiding her emotions...anger and betrayal still lay bare though.

"You, Naruko, are going to be promoted."

Her eyes didn't go wide, as he had expected, but most unexpectedly she looked him in the eye. "Thanks, Old Man." 

She hadn't called him 'Old Man' since she was nine, and to hear it again warmed his heart. At first he hated it, the nickname a constant reminder of how old he truly was, but then he began to see it as a form of endearment; she never did have parents growing up, so who could know why she said and did half the things she did? She had no idea how you were to speak to someone of higher authority, so she called them what she honestly saw them as.

"Wait...you don't even know what rank you're getting promoted to." Kakashi had joined the conversation, looking out of the corner of his eye as he began to read the book in his hand properly this time. Naruko was still reading hers, now that the excitement had worn off.

"Jounín" they both said in unison, causing a quirked eyebrow to form on Sarutobi's face before disappearing. He should have expected they'd know; besides, Naruko was already at high Jounín, low Kage level with, well...everything.

Thus, enter step two of his three-step plan, Codenamed: CDKFSLF. The entirety of this is Crimson Demon of Konoha Finds Something to Live For, but that's just too long. Hell, even the abbreviation needed work, but he'd ignore it if only his plan came into action.

Step one, introduce Hinata to Naruko, them eventually getting together in the hopes of restoring the old Naruko- it failed, but at least Naruko had someone in her life that didn't hate her and actually enjoyed seeing her; he had a feeling Hinata would be thanking him for the rest of his life with this...

Step two- make Naruko a Jounín, giving her the idea that she can one day become Hokage, like she used to dream of being years ago- still ongoing. It could take months before she realises he even had a plan.

"So, Old Man, this is step two; what's step three?"

Well shit. She wasn't supposed to figure it out already, but he had to work with what he got. But first...

"How...the hell do you know about the plan!?" regaining his composure and seeing the odd looks he was receiving, he took a deep breath and sighed. "So...when did you figure it out?"

Kakashi looked mildly interested at this; it's true that this was kept an A rank secret, so she should not have found out. Only ANBU and the Hokage, as well as him, knew of it.

"Just now, actually..." Kakashi rolled his hands in a _'continue'_ motion, while Sarutobi looked like he either wanted to strangle her or praise her for figuring it out with such an underhanded tactic. "You should know an interrogation when you see one, Kakashi." The man's visible eye widened, but she paid it no mind and continued, her book still to her face. "You see, I had a feeling that Hinata's father having that conversation in the same park I was walking to wasn't just a coincidence a year ago. No, someone set it up, watched me...but you didn't know that I had every single ANBU operative that was following me trailing after a clone instead, while I watched from a distance."

She flipped a page idly, ignoring the stunned silence. "You...trailed ANBU that were following a clone? Then you watched them, trained ANBU operatives, from a small distance away while they remained none the wiser?" Kakashi had just broken down a full explanation into two measly sentences, but she did have to congratulate him for getting over the shock so soon.

When the Hokage snapped out of his stupor, and before he could ask anything, she continued. "So, when am I going to be a teacher, and who am I teaching?"

He shook his head; she was an exceptional ninja, and all Kakashi could do was gape like a fish. "You'll be the assistant Jounín while Kakashi teaches a two man team." He took a puff of his pipe before smiling wryly. "Apparently a student went 'missing'." He directed his glare to Naruko. "So we're now one person down; you're going to be a teacher in practical and name sense, but a student under Kakashi nonetheless, to balance the teams a little."

"All right."

He took a puff of his pipe, before looking at Naruko. "So, where's the real you?" Kakashi looked confused, glancing between Naruko and Sarutobi. He was lost as to what the Hokage meant, so he sat back and watched.

"Well, it's about time you noticed!" she snapped her book closed with a thud that resounded through the ears of all present, the ANBU in the rafters of the Hokage's office wincing at how loud it was. "Underneath the underneath, I must admit you should have figured it out sooner, but then that's what the Genjutsu's for."

Sarutobi, for once today, didn't look surprised, simply regarding her with a once over. "Of course, a clone with a multi-layered Genjutsu." Another puff of his pipe, before he responded once more. "That's ANBU level stuff, but something none of them have ever used before. A new technique?"

She nodded, jumping once to show no shadow coming from beneath her. "For them it's high level stuff, but for me this is pretty low. Oh, and it would be really impressive if this clone could make a shadow clone with a Genjutsu, wouldn't it?"

Both eyes widened. "You mean...?" Hiruzen didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Yep, I can make a shadow clone, with a multi-layered Genjutsu, and still have enough chakra to perform a few B class Jutsu before it dispels."

They both went slack jawed, but the Naruko clone simply shrugged. "Now, to answer you original question; I..." the clone began to fade, the feet first, followed by the torso and finally the head, before an eerie voice drifted through the air, echoing, seemingly coming from all around them. "...Am e _verywhere...and nowhere..._ " the end word dragged off as a demented whisper, followed by a sinister chuckle that chilled the bones of all present- the ANBU included-, showing them that the demon hasn't lost her touch.

They feared for her new team, they really did.

Naruko, meanwhile, was chuckling as the memories of her actual shadow clone came back to her; she just tricked the Hokage into thinking it was a normal clone, not a shadow clone; he'd be sending Kakashi to her home later, but for now...

"Say, Nar-Naruko?" she looked down and met with two opaque eyes that stared right back at hers, round and soft, innocent yet already seen too much.

Hinata was wrapped in her arms, head against her chest, above her heart to hear the beat. Naruko couldn't complain, the position was soft and provided warmth; what else did a fox need except for a loved one and warmth? And that was the issue- the love thing, I mean. She had loved Anko before she died, she'd sworn to never love another again just to feel the sting of tears as they die. That's one of the many reasons she became a demon, the Demon of Konoha; the first was the villagers and their misguided hatred, followed by the lack of help from ninjas that knew better.

But contrary to her once-belief, she fell anyway- not as long, as hard or as fast as she had first for Anko, but fell all the same. For the Hyuuga heiress currently perched in her lap, snuggled closer to her as a kitten would...a kitten and a fox...how appropriate.

"Yes?"

Hinata looked nervous, and Naruko wondered what it was that was on the girl's mind; sure, they'd become a couple, but nervousness about that wasn't it; Hinata had been the one to start it after all, and Naruko only went along to indulge in her fantasy a little. It grew into mutuality, obviously, and now both shares a loving relationship, and have now for nearly a year.

Could it be something else, perhaps? Something they had tried to approach but failed due to both Naruko's and Hinata's nerves showing up in the last minute? Sex had been something she had never had nor wanted, so Naruko didn't bother with the petty little dreams of finding that right one. Hinata was changing that outlook every day.

But it couldn't be that either; when it came to anything remotely close to their relationship, Hinata would change; she'd turn from shy and stuttering to powerful, full of confidence and extremely protective. Fiercely she'd defend Naruko when she wasn't there to hear the whispers the villagers would spread, she'd tell Naruko everything she needed to hear for comfort, and in some cases she'd get into fights- she didn't start them, but she did put up a pretty good fight one time before some Chuunín showed up and battered her into a hospital.

Unfortunately for them, she was just as, if not more so, protective as Hinata was. She'd found the people who started the fight, pummelled them into next week, and- with Hinata's words and pleas- let them live...extremely reluctantly, however. She'd dreamt up a thousand different ways to feed them their own intestines for what they did- Hinata had her very first scar from one of the villagers who thought it would be funny to use a glass bottle.

That one was sent to the hospital with a missing arm, result of Naruko trying to keep her rage intact.

Barely.

"Well...A-Are you going t-to the C-Chuunín exam t-t-that's coming up soon?" she squeaked when Naruko poked her cheek with a small chuckle, her eyes mirthful but full of confusion as well.

"I'm a Jounín, but because I'm a student I'm also a Genín...I suppose I could go the exams, but they'd probably make me skip the written and survival tests and send me straight to the combat portion. They'd probably do that with you if you were on my team, or they'd do it simply because you're with me romantically, figuring you'd have picked up some tricks or something."

She could see the worry on Hinata's face, and instinctively knew what she was feeling. "You'll be fine, Hinata; I'll be there to watch you in the exams. Me being a Jounín, I can watch the exams as well as participate." Hinata seemed to relax at the words, but still was tense. Naruko simply rubbed her nose with Hinata's in a rare display of affection, and spoke in a low voice. "I promise I'll be there to watch, even if the other Jounín tell me I can't. I'll be there, okay?"

Hinata nodded and closed the gap, pressing her lips to Naruko's, who responded instantly by wrapping her arms around Hinata's back, pulling her closer.

It lasted three seconds before Kakashi arrived at her door, entering without knocking as usual.

He coughed into his hand to get their attention, and Naruko and Hinata both sent him a middle finger while they continued to kiss for another ten seconds. Kakashi was beginning to feel uncomfortable while he stood there, until Naruko broke it and glared at Kakashi before sighing and whispering something to Hinata.

Hinata pecked her on the lips one last time, nodding and leaving her straddling position to walk around Kakashi and leave to her family compound. She needed to ask her father a question of major importance.

As soon as the door closed, Kakashi's beet red face dissipated, and stared calmly at the fellow Jounín in the room. Silence reigned for all but four seconds before he sat down next to her and pulled out a book. "You already know, don't you?"

"Obviously." She replied with a smirk, before getting up and moving to her armchair. She pulled out her book as well, sitting in her small armchair, legs hanging over the right arm of the chair with her back pressed up against the left.

They sat reading for two hours in silence before Kakashi noted the time and looked out the window to his right; the sun was beginning to set, and considering it was around about summertime, that meant the sun had risen slower, which also meant it was around about...ten o'clock. He glanced at the clock to the middle right of Naruko's closest=left wall to him, and it read exactly as he had predicted. He was getting good at this.

But before he left, he turned to Naruko and looked at her as if tired. "You'll be joining the exams, won't you?"

"Yep."

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his chin in thought. "And you're gonna put them into a hospital aren't you?"

She flipped a page. "Yep."

And this time he sighed once more, finally gaining her undivided attention. "You shouldn't sigh, it's not good for you."

" _You're_ not good for me, Naruko. I found my first grey hair yesterday."

She gave him a blank look, looking at him incredulously before looking at his white hair. His _white_ hair that reminded her of the white she'd seen when she woke up lonely, in a desolate deserted alley.

She shook her head, ridding the creeping thoughts and stared at Kakashi once more. "You...you're kidding, right? _All_ of your hair is white." She looked at him once more before looking back at the book. "You'll hardly find any grey hair there. In fact, I bet you've got some sort of cultivated grizzly beard under that mask."

Without another word he body-flickered through the open window, leaving Naruko alone to turn her book pages.

"Knew it."

She grinned.

"He's got a beard...him, with a beard, is the world going mad or something?" then she paused, looking contemplative. "No, Not the world, just me I guess."

(^^^^^^)

The exams had been brutal, that's all she could call them.

The first examination was a written test, of which she had the utter joy of watching over, with the famed Interrogation Master known as Inoichi. At least she thinks it was Inoichi...or was it Ibiki? It was one of the two, at least, and she smiled knowing that she could identify them by their pathetic excuses of scars.

That test was...well, unfair would be a word she'd use, but since she made the rules up, she'd not say that; punishment was too severe a word too, so she stuck with...brutal. that exam was brutal, and she was smiling up a storm because of the groans of pain from headaches that many were getting, and the shouts of defeat. She even saw her fellow proctor smirking a bit.

She was now onto the second examination; survival. She'd admit, she was worried- she really hoped Hinata survived, or at least made it out of there with as little wounds as possible.

She may love Hinata, to pieces even, but she couldn't stand there and do nothing while she suffered in there. So, against the rules, she'd told Hinata, away from prying eyes, the most direct route through the forest safely.

She figured the others would catch on, so she gave the other Genín some advice; she'd spread a little rumour that Hinata was a dangerous individual already on par with a high Chuunín levelled ninja. A little lie, a white lie, but it served its purpose.

She didn't see one scratch on Hinata when she went in, and as soon as she did and heard the forest's ambient noises flood her ears, she'd become worried already. She was pacing outside the temple where the Genín were supposed to show up at, drawing little stick figurines and even talking to Kuruma inside her head!

That all only took a day.

A group of Genín approached her at the dawn of the second day, and she looked up in surprise; was that...no, Hinata wasn't amongst them. She'd only seen some ninja from the sand village; a boy with clear eyes, a girl, almost a woman with blond spiked hair and predatory grin, and a boy wearing a cat suit and...make-up? No, war paint... so he's a puppeteer?

As they approached, the girl wore a look of pride, probably thinking she'd passed the exam through arriving the fastest time...wow, these other hidden villages were really left out of the loop, weren't they?

' _Well'_ , she sat up, cracking her back with loud, painful sounding noises coming from her, ' _time to ruin some dreams, my favourite part of the day'_.

The girl approached first, her prideful smile on her face while the cat suit kid- her new nickname for him- looked as if expecting praise. The clear eyed one, however, looked at her warily, as if she were a danger to them. He knew of her, it seems. _'Finally, a smart Genín'_.

Noticing their stares, she looked at them with a risen eyebrow and nothing more. "What? You want somethin'?"

The girl of the group looked at her with a smug expression, but also a bit curious. "Yeah, we made it here within a day. Aren't you jealous?"

"...Should I be?" the cat suit kid cried in dismay. "she got here before us Temari! I knew we shouldn't have stopped for a break!"

Kankuro, can it!" the girl known as Temari turned a rage-filled eye to Naruko, who was pretending to look at her nails, completely disinterested in their little squabble and gloating session. "I don't see a team here with you. What, did they die?" the teasing manner was there alright, but Naruko hardly found it as amusing at Kankuro did. That red haired kid with the eyes though looked at Temari with a sharp eye, and the look on her face was of fear. She actually looked frightened of him. Wait 'til she finds out who Naruko is then...oh the face would be completely priceless!

"So, weird kid with the red hair."

The 'kid' in question looked up at her, eyes emotionless and sound, but clear and full of lost innocence...or betrayal. "Yes?" his voice was grainy, rough, but soft and quiet at the same time. It didn't annoy her, just agitated her a little. It was just one of those voices, you know?

"What's your name?" she was curious about them all, but even more so about this particular member of their team.

"I am Gaara."

Temari looked at her with a pitying expression, but before she could try and warn Naruko, Gaara looked her in the eye. "And you," he pointed with his eyes locked onto hers. "Are the Crimson Demon of Konoha."

The two with him actually looked even more scared than what Gaara could do with just a look; the boy in the cat suit seemed to be sweating profusely, while the girl with the hair looked back and forth between Gaara and Naruko, trying to discern the truth. "Y-Y-Y-You're Naruko!?"

Naruko simply pulled out a cigarette she'd...'acquired' from Asuma, lighting it with the lighter she also 'acquired'. "Yep!" she puffed out a breath of smoke, glaring at her in the process. "Got an issue?" her voice turned menacingly, and while Kankuro and Temari seemed terrified, Gaara actually looked pleased.

"So the rumours are true." His voice rang out, causing her to puff out another plume of smoke before looking at him through one eye, the other closed with an eye-smile effect.

"Oh? Rumours, eh?"

He nodded, looking at her with renewed interest.

She threw her hand out, the cigarette landing on the ground next to Kankuro, who backed away little. "Gaara, was it?" he nodded, causing her to scowl. "You seem bloodthirsty, so you get one warning before I paste you across the wall." She leaned in, right next to his left ear while the smile from his face vanished into a small frown. "Stay _away from Hinata_."

To emphasise her point, she licked the side of his cheek where her kunai had cut, which he didn't even notice had happened; by the look of surprise on the other's faces, they hadn't seen it either. She seemed to be savouring his blood, before pulling out after making a point.

Her voice turned sickly sweet, eyes wide with horrors unknown to be inflicted upon them, while her hands were clasped behind her, posing as an angel. "You be good now! Go on in..."

As they did so, rushing past her- even Gaara quickened his pace- they all looked back to see her smile wickedly and grin like a Cheshire cat afterwards, before finally bursting into a witch's cackle, clutching her sides while allowing her eyes to flick this way and that.

The sight terrified them, and set Gaara himself in a wary mood.

(^^^^^^)

It's been three days now and still no sign of Hinata or her team; that little Uchiha, the one always trying to pick fights with her and roaming around claiming he was superior to everyone always did hate Hinata. "Oh I swear if that little nuisance has done anything to her, he's gonna get that fight he wants."

While thinking up the Uchiha's imminent castration and disembowelment, a thought snaked its way into her mind, slithering between her eyes and worming into her brain, and then it clicked.

Snake...Orochimaru was here. How she figured that out she'll never know, but he was probably here for the arm she ripped off of him, or the eye she scooped out. Doesn't matter, what did was an SS class Ninja was hovering around, and may have something to do with Hinata's...well, not appearing.

Of course she hated the fact that Hinata may not pass, but Naruko's a Jounín! She could pull some strings and get her back into the exam! Well...she hopes so, anyway.

A sudden spike of Chakra warned her and the nearby ANBU to a location just South of where she was, and with a wave of her arms she sent them out to find what it was.

Five minutes later, only one returned confirming her biggest fears.

"N-Neko? Where's the rest of you?" she pointed to the blank area behind her, and all of a sudden Neko went a tad paler than she had before.

"W-Well..."

Naruko sighed, running a hand over her face, suddenly feeling like an adult who has had enough of everything; is this how the Hokage feels constantly? "Orochimaru's here isn't he?"

Neko simply nodded, and Naruko groaned, feeling a sudden pain in her head; what was that called again? A headache? It must be, the whispers in her head had stopped; silence filling the void, so a headache that hurts her would shut them up...and just when she needed them as well. Figures.

"There's also some urgent news you may want to hear."

Naruko simply rolled her hand in a circling motion while the other covered her sensitive eyes from the light- why did the sun hate her eyeballs? She swears, one day she's gonna take Kuruma's suggestion and use his Chakra to learn how to teleport, just so she can teleport up to the sun and throw it somewhere. That damn ball of light hurts her every time she wakes up Goddamnit! Wrecker of dreamland, destroyer of peaceful sleeps and all around bad-guy, the sun deserved whatever she did to it...even if it's impossible.

"The Hyuuga girl, Hinata Hyuuga, was there last I saw her." Neko frowned when she felt something radiate in the air, thinking it was Orochimaru. "There seems to be a spike of something-"

Her eyes widened, and she gained a worried expression when Naruko removed her hand from her face, a sadistic smile, sickly sweet and scary as hell, bloomed on her face. Her red eyes turned a dark crimson, cheeks seemed sunk inwards, and bags appeared below her eyes.

Neko, now, would have you believe she's never been scared- she's not scared of spiders, just dislikes them; she'd not scared of Naruko...she's petrified; she's not scared of the amount of killing intent flooding the area, she was nervous. She's always been there for Naruko, from childhood to...well, the Demon she is now. Though she does admit that she could have helped Naruko in that alleyway that night, she was knocked unconscious by the ANBU that were watching over Naruko with her, and by the time she awoke, Naruko was moved to a hospital bed and had begun her change.

Neko still remained the only person aside from the Hokage himself and Hinata that Naruko trusted, and Neko knew of Hinata and Naruko's relationship. it was something that she had to get used to, since she loved Naruko like a little sister- a very powerful scary little sister- and had to keep her safe as much as possible. She soon learned that Naruko didn't need her protection, even if Naruko herself didn't acknowledge it.

The Killing Intent filling the area was enough to kill someone of a weaker mind, and now Neko was suddenly feeling very woeful for Orochimaru; she'd received the report on what she had done to him last tie they crossed each other, but this time...this time he'd be missing a lot more limbs and both his eyes.

And just like that, Neko blinked and Naruko was gone, speeding faster than the eye could see in the direction of the Chakra spike.

 **This...may get a little grizzly, and that's putting it mildly.**

She had never moved so fast nor as frantic before in her life; she's always sped forward in life with nothing but her own goals in mind, her own motives. Own survival and her own interests at heart, her own safety.

Now she has nothing in mind but the safety of someone else, the well being of someone else; love makes you do stupid things, right?

The forest around her was nothing but a blur as she shot through the dense bushes and falling leaves, leaving a gust of wind behind her, trailing after her, following like a shadow sweeping all in her wake away. She arrived at the scene in nearly two seconds. Quite the feat, all things considering. She still couldn't move as fast as the Fourth, but hell was she trying her hardest; one day she'd meet that idiot in the afterlife, kick hiss ass for putting the Kyuubi inside her and then beat him in a race...granted the ass kicking would weaken him, but all's fair and all that right?

She smirked when she saw Sasuke pinned to a tree by a kunai; the idiot must have tried to do something reckless, and Hinata or Sakura must have...well, stopped it I guess. And just as she arrived, the gust of wind slammed into the tree she was next to a second later, knocking it over and causing a great thudding noise to echo throughout the Forest of Death.

That was when her smirk fell as she saw Orochimaru.

Log black hair let loose, face and skin as pale as ever—though not as pale as her own- and eyes split in slits. A snake-like pose when walking or moving in general and reptilian features that always cause a stir of annoyance in her when she sees them- slightly pointed ears, curved mouth, forked tongue...each one was driving the dagger of annoyance further and further until she'd just snap and rip him apart.

When their eyes met, he actually seemed afraid, but also glad to see her, as if she were a friend he knew not to anger.

Well, their eyes didn't meet, his eyes looked at her and she looked at the lifeless Hinata on the ground behind him.

"Well...it seems you do still live in the Leaf Village after all..." he actually seemed to gain a sad expression, and she knew what he was going to say by the way his mouth curled into a frown and his eyes dulled for a second.

"After...well, Anko's...passing, I would have thought you'd kill yourself or leave...or perhaps even do my job for me and..." he looked down to where Sakura was shivering, eyes wide as she stared between the unconscious form of Sasuke and the calm standing form of Naruko- she frowned noticing no look of concern for Hinata. "...well, rid the world of green leaved pests."

With each word he was getting closer, and with each one she simply stared at the body of Hinata. She couldn't detect a pulse form here with her enhanced vision, which means it's extremely shallow, likely unconscious...or dead. If she was dead she'd rip Orochimaru a new one, tear him limb from limb and feed him his eyes, then she'd pull off his fingers, one by one, and shove them through his ears until he was literally picking his own brain. Oh yes, then she'd pull his spleen through his throat and shove it up his ass.

The thoughts grew darker, until Orochimaru's curious voice shook her out of her torture sessions with the bastard himself in her head.

"You look angry, Naruko." He thought for a second, each millisecond like an hour for Naruko, before he looked at her warily. "You're not going to attempt a repeat performance of last time, are you?"

Her face reddened with rage, but her eyes remained that red that they were, instead of switching to the colour of blood; he was safe...if he played his cards right.

"Depends on your answer to this next question." She leaned in, his ear right below her lips, as she whispered with the most threatening voice she could muster. "And if you give me the answer I don't want to hear, ill shove your eyes up your ass so you can see me rip apart your intestines."

He'd never usually be scared at a threat like this; people made threats all the time, most banter and some simply empty. Threats meant little to him because Orochimaru knew, he just knew, that they were all empty things that he could crush, along with the people who make them. The thing with Naruko, though, is that she doesn't make threats...she makes promises. She makes vows to do exactly as she says she will, and he knew she'd actually do it.

That's why he was, right now, shaking like a leaf in a tornado.

She took a smirk of self-satisfaction, before leaning closer, lips grazing his ear, and turned him around with her hands around his paralysed body, flashing him a look before he could speak, before nudging her head towards the limp body of Hinata.

She spoke three words, each one causing him to shake in his boots.

"Is. She. Alive?"

"Y-Yes!" regaining his composure, he flittered out of her reach, only to turn around and see nothing. In his confusion, he didn't see the red blur fly past his face and land next to Hinata's body, Naruko probing and checking every part of her to ensure her survival. Except...something was amiss. She seamed to be in pain, her face that was ground into the floor curled up in an expression of pure agony.

That was when Naruko looked up to Hinata's face, and saw the sag that her eyelids seemed to do. They shouldn't be sagging...unless...

Naruko shot backwards, crawling on her hands and feet, shuffling away form the agonised, now eyeless body of Hinata Hyuuga.

It must have been torturous...but the pain Hinata was in wasn't what was flashing in her mind, nor, surprisingly, was it the death of Orochimaru. No, it was Hinata's future; as a Hyuuga, her eyes are the most important body part, similar to an Uchiha's sense of their eyes being the ultimate weapon that can't be replaced. Without them, her clan would humiliate and mock her, pick on her and bully her, they'd ostracise her and destroy any chance of her ever continuing her career as a ninja. Her eyes were the most beautiful quality about her, and to have them ripped out like this, so savagely and brutally for some sick experiment...well, it didn't sit right, and that was putting it as mild as a cucumber to describe Naruko's feelings... she'd never see those beautiful opaque orbs again, and Hinata would never see her face again, look into her eyes as she said she loved her again, never be able to write, or read, or draw, or even walk...not without assistance. Assistance which she'd refuse, she'd never tolerate. She hated being helped, and it was shown in when she frowned at a teacher for rewarding her for 'trying her best'. Her best was on a skill level par with Chuunín, but now she'd never get to show them that; never get to show them that she's more than a shy, useless girl.

She shot her head in Orochimaru's direction, and in a moment of blind rage, her fist shot out with such force that it was a blur even to the most trained eyes, slamming straight through his chest and gripping his heart. It beat frantically, terrified of being crushed... _'this is exactly as Hinata felt'_.

And with a grim look upon her face and a shocked one from Orochimaru, she squeezed, slowly. The pain he was feeling was immense, but soon the organ exploded, blood coating his chest cavity...and in seconds he was dead.

Hinata's groan of pain caused Naruko to shuffle her way over to Hinata, placing her hand in the Hyuuga's left hand while her head was buried in Hinata's chest, her tears soaking the baggy hooded jacket Hinata had decided to wear. Hinata's free hand stroked through Naruko's hair instinctively, causing the sobbing girl to calm down.

That was when four ANBU captains- Kakashi included- and the Hokage himself, along with some of the other students still doing the exam, showed up.

They could do nothing but witness the tragic scene in front of them.

Hinata tried to open her eyes, but the pain was too much, and she winced, whimpering like a kicked puppy, causing Naruko to gently lift Hinata's head up, placing it in-between her arms, cradling it.

"Naruko...You're here." She coughed, and Naruko noticed some blood dribble down her mouth. He did more than just take her eyes then, he caused internal bleeding, and with the way he took those eyes, she can't get treated. She was almost literally knocking on Death's door.

"Yeah..." she parted the curtain of hair that fell over Hinata's face with her thumb, causing a small smile to come from Hinata, despite the situation- that girl was stronger than Naruko could ever be. "...I-I'm here."

"Good..." she smiled serenely, her head tilting sideways as her voice became strained. "I...knew you'd come."

Naruko chuckled humourlessly, dryly but filled with emotion. "Well, it seems I came a bit later than I'd have liked."

Hinata frowned, though it seemed more like a grimace with the way her eyes weren't, well, there. " don't do that Naruko." Her voice was raspy now, worrying Naruko immensely. "Don't...don't hide behind jokes."

Hinata's hand somehow found its way up to Naruko's cheek, and she stroked it gently, but Naruko could feel the limpness in the action, and in a matter of time, the hand would fall. She held it in place with her other hand, the one not stroking Hinata's scalp, and pressed her face lovingly into it, trying to salvage as much warmth as possible.

This was more emotion the onlookers had ever seen out of Naruko that they'd like to, more than they'd ever seen before, and more than they'd ever see again. each one either treasured it with tears of sorrow- the Hokage- tears of regret- Neko and Kakashi-or tears of agony- Hiashi.

The two lovers stayed there, blissfully unaware of the people watching.

"Hinata...please..." she could feel the girl's hand falling limp, her body slumping slowly. It was painful to even be in this situation, and even worse knowing you can't do anything about it. "...please don't leave me, kitten."

She used her pet name, bringing a small smile from Hinata, who began to slur her words, but nevertheless made them coherent, though her head dipped sideways as she spoke. "Come on foxy..." Hinata felt tears slash on her face, and she wiped Naruko's eyes gently with her thumb.

Her hand fell from Naruko's face, her head tilted all the way to the side, resting against her thigh and her smile stayed as a deafening silence plagued all. Hinata's mouth moved, and Naruko leaned down, tears streaking down her chin and eyes hooded with sadness.

"Don't cry...be strong for me."

And then Hinata's gentle heart, the only thing to penetrate Naruko's dark world and shed some light on her, giving her purpose and something to work towards, stopped beating.

(^^^^^^)

The Hokage would look back on this day, when the world was told on how one Naruko Uzumaki slaughtered the invading Sand Ninjas, and would think to himself, just think.

That's all he'd do, think. Just...think. he'd stare out of the window, looking out at the little wood and cobble tower Naruko now lived in alone, and would lament on the day...the day Naruko truly died, and the Demon of Konoha took over.

The day Naruko's existence for life died...and her own heart along with it.

(^^^^^^)

 **Well...that was a thing.**

 **I cried at the end, honestly I did. That ending is the most emotionally draining ending I've ever done.**

 **It was...well...I...you know what? Just review, I can't even put this into words.**


End file.
